Roberto Rolfo on his Ducati SC Caracchi has found Superbike a competitive and combative world since his arrival in the close season, but nonetheless he looks safe for a top 16 finish if he is able to rack up even single-digit points finishes through to the final round in France. Some 31 points behind him, another classy rookie, albeit from a very different background, Shinichi Nakatomi on the Yamaha Motor France bike has had a fleetingly impressive first season in SBK, but he has to look out for the proven podium talents of Max Neukirchner on his Alstare Engineering Suzuki who will be out once more on the bike he has only made his own in the most recent two rounds.
Steve Martin on the turquoise Petronas FP-1 is on course to finish inside the championship top 20 in the final year of Petronas participation, while his team-mate Craig Jones will be out to repeat the points scoring finish he enjoyed at the most recent race at Lausitz. Aussie privateer Josh Brookes on the Bertocchi Kawasaki looks to Imola to increase his score in front of his team's home crowd.
As an astonishing Supersport season enters its last two acts, the dramas are surely not over yet. After injury halted a runaway performance from the almost unbeatable Sebastien Charpentier on his Winston Ten Kate Honda the second half of the championship season has been a melting pot of good and bad fortune for the top runners. Kevin Curtain on the Yamaha Motor Germany machine is now the hot favourite for the title, with a 27-point advantage over Charpentier.
Broc Parkes on his Yamaha Motor Germany bike is aiming to be back to fitness at Imola, having sustained some serious injuries to his ribs and lung after a heavy crash at Assen in early September. The star of the current show, however, is full-season rookie
Kenan Sofuoglu, winner of the two most recent WSS races, at Assen and Lausitz, and now seemingly poised to finish in fourth in the overall championship standings, if he continues in this vein.
